The most covalent of the chlorides; LiCL,BeCL2,MgCL2 and AlCL3 is
(a)MgCL2
(b)AlCL3
(c)Licl
(d)BeCL2
c
To determine which of the given chlorides is the most covalent, we need to analyze the electronegativities of the atoms involved in each compound.
Electronegativity is a measure of an atom's ability to attract electrons towards itself. In a covalent bond, electrons are shared between atoms, and the greater the difference in electronegativity, the more polar the bond becomes.
In this case, we have the following chlorides:
LiCL: Lithium chloride
BeCL2: Beryllium chloride
MgCL2: Magnesium chloride
AlCL3: Aluminum chloride
To find the most covalent chloride, we need to compare the electronegativities of the atoms. The electronegativity generally increases across periods in the periodic table and decreases down groups.
Looking at the periodic table, we see that lithium (Li) and beryllium (Be) are in the same period and have similar electronegativities. Magnesium (Mg) is in the same group as beryllium, but its electronegativity is slightly higher. Aluminum (Al) is in a different group and period, and its electronegativity is higher compared to the other elements.
From this analysis, we can conclude that the most covalent chloride is (b) AlCL3, aluminum chloride, since aluminum has the highest electronegativity among the given elements.
In summary, to determine which chloride is the most covalent, we compared the electronegativities of the elements involved and found that aluminum chloride (AlCL3) has the highest electronegativity and therefore is the most covalent compound among the given options.